by MICHAEL DASHIELL

Sequim Gazette

It didn’t take long for the reigning league champions to flex some muscle against a depleted Wolves squad.

Alex Correll scored less than a minute into the game and he and Riley Danskin combined for all four Bremerton goals in a 4-1 win in Sequim on March 24.

“We were kind of on our heels right away,” Sequim coach Dave Brasher said. “(But) we had a couple of chances.”

Mitch McHugh scored off a Waylon Lam assist for the lone Wolf score of the match just before halftime to halve Bremerton’s lead to 2-1.

Lam drove a free kick from the right side to McHugh who redirected it for his first score of the campaign.

But Bremerton’s Danskin scored early in the second half and controlled play for much of the second half.

“That kind of took the air out of us,” Brasher said.

Sequim’s roster was missing four players who were traveling with the high school band in California.

Auburn-Mountainview took advantage of Sequim’s smaller squad in a 7-1 win on March 26. Isaac Cardoza and Adal Tedla each scored twice for the 3A Lions squad, state qualifiers in 2009 and 2010.

Sequim’s lone score in the nonleague loss came off a penalty kick.

The Wolves get 10 days off until their next contest, thanks to spring break and a rescheduling of a midweek game against Klahowya.

“It’ll be good to get some rest over spring break; we’ve got some guys dinged up,” Brasher said. “I’m still pretty impressed with the team — we’re playing well.”

Sequim is in Silverdale to take on Olympic on April 6 and play at North Mason on April 12.

Vikings hand Wolves first loss

Sequim coach Dave Brasher figured North Kitsap would be one of the top teams in the league.

On this night, they sure seemed to fit that billing.

Viking Ismeal DeLuna scored in the 25th minute and keeper Jordan Hadden made it stand up as North Kitsap edged Sequim 1-0 on March 22 in Sequim.

“I thought we played great,” Brasher said. “They (the Vikings) are touted to be even stronger than last year. It’s a good confidence builder for the kids that they can play best in the league.”

North Kitsap, which outshot Sequim 10-9 in the game, finished in a virtual tie with Bremerton for the league title last spring, losing out on the crown to Bremerton by a tiebreaker.

“We had chances,” Brasher said. “The goal they got was kind of soft. (It was) a miscommunication with our guys. Waylon (Lam) and Nick (Camporini) had a couple of good chances. It was a fun game to watch.”

Reach Michael Dashiell at miked@sequimgazette.com.